He was a dexterous, impassioned reasoner, whom they little cared to encounter in argument on such a topic.

During his short period of residence, moreover, he had not shown himself so tractable as to secure the good wishes of superiors, who prefer conformity to incommensurable genius.

It is likely that they were not averse to getting rid of him as a man dangerous to the peace of their society; and now they had a good occasion.

Nor was it to be expected that the champion and apostle of Atheism--and Shelley was certainly both, in spite of Hogg's attempts to tone down the purpose of his document--should be unmolested in his propaganda by the aspirants to fat livings and ecclesiastical dignities.

Real blame, however, attaches to these men: first, for their dulness to discern Shelley's amiable qualities; and, secondly, for the prejudgment of the case implied in the immediate delivery of their sentence.